Ebony Morgan is 15th Trans Woman of Color Murdered in 2017

Lynchburg, Virginia was the home of 28-year-old Ebony Morgan as well as the location where she died from a gunshot wound on Sunday, July 2. Ebony is the 15th trans woman of color and the 13th Black trans woman to be murdered in the US in 2017.

According to the Lynchburg media, police responded to reports of gunshot around 1:07 AM. Ebony was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Police and Lynchburg media insisted on using Ebony’s deadname for legal reasons. Sigh. So now her friends, family and extended trans community have to invest their time monitoring that nonsense in lieu of grieving and community building. The Lynchburg Diversity Center is one local organization providing updates and support to the community.

Trans women of color, particularly Black trans women, are being murdered at pandemic rates in the United States. These women exist at one of the most dangerous intersections in America. The brutal forces of racism, sexism, and transphobia come to bear in horrifying, violent ways on these women’s lives and their bodies. Many of them are victims of their male intimate partners.

According to the information that I have on hand, 2016 was the year we lost 26 trans siblings and neighbors, the majority of whom were Black trans women. I’ve been trying to blog memorial posts for each life lived and lost since 2013 as a way to say their names and continue to push the larger cisgender community to acknowledge the epidemic. And take action by investing resources and supports in trans women, especially black trans women.

Resources in Western Pennsylvania that can use your donation to support black trans women and/or offer supports & services to those who need them. This list is not comprehensive. TransPride Pittsburgh is an umbrella group and the best lead for referrals to other organizations.